LAHORE: British boxer of Pakistani origin Amir Khan alleges that the land given to him (by the Punjab government) in Lahore to establish a boxing academy is “disputed”.

“The land given to us to establish a boxing academy here is disputed. The chief minister had promised to give me land (for the purpose) but practically I have been given no land,” Mr Khan told reporters at the inauguration of the examination hall of a private school on Raiwind Road here on Wednesday.

He said Pakistan had immense talent for boxing and he would love to train the youth here.

A Punjab government spokesman told Dawn that the chief minister had not made any promise to Mr Khan regarding giving him a piece of land to establish a boxing academy in Lahore. “In fact, the Punjab government is setting up a boxing academy near Qadhafi Stadium at a cost of Rs100 million. Mr Khan has been requested to coach the young talent in this academy, where construction work will begin this year,” he said.

Recently, Amir Khan had inaugurated his boxing academy in Islamabad. The Amir Khan Boxing Academy has been set up at the Pakistan Sports Complex in collaboration with the Pakistan Sports Board to train young pugilists of the country.

He said the academy (in Islamabad) was modelled after the one he established in England, saying it would soon start producing “world champions”.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2016